Just Like Dad: Growing Up Muslim in the Shenandoah Valley with Nadia Da'Mes

What was it like to grow up as the daughter of the Shenandoah Valley’s first Muslim family? Join local business owner and community advocate Nadia Da’Mes as she shares the story of her family’s journey from Palestine to Rockingham County and the remarkable legacy of her father, Awad Da’Mes. Arriving in the Valley in 1978, Awad helped establish the region’s first Muslim community, build the area’s first mosque, and foster friendships across faiths through decades of dialogue, education, and service. Through personal stories, Nadia reflects on growing up between two cultures, discovering her own identity, and unexpectedly following in her father’s footsteps as a business owner and community leader. Along the way, she traces the growth of the local Muslim community—from a single family to hundreds of families who now call the Shenandoah Valley home. This presentation explores immigration, faith, family, and the power of building bridges across cultures. It’s a story about one family’s experience—and about how communities grow stronger when neighbors choose understanding over fear. Nadia Da’Mes is a Rockingham County native, Bridgewater College graduate, and owner of UMA, Inc., a Dayton-based aviation and medical manufacturing company. The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, she is passionate about building a stronger, more welcoming community through civic engagement and interfaith dialogue. Nadia serves on the boards of United Way, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, Bridgewater Rotary Club, First Step, and Goodwill Industries. A frequent speaker on community diversity and leadership, she has received the CWS Refugee Inspirational Voice Award, the Chamber’s Community Champion Award, and Bridgewater Rotary’s Rotarian of the Year Award. Please consider a donation to help keep Rocktown History programs free and accessible.